Ari K.
Yelp
Ostaria Boccadoro, the Best Seafood in Venice
Do you know how you can gauge the freshness of a seafood restaurant? When, as you are having a drink (or in when in Italy, an aperitivo) the morning catch is dropped off at the restaurant for lunch. The exquisite Ostaria Boccadoro, is located in the magical and unique city of Venice. The name Boccadoro, translated as "golden mouth" from Italian (bocca d'oro), suits this place divinely. The owner Chef Luciano Orlandi is profoundly charming and quite funny. The fanciful and refined restaurant specializes in offering the freshest and most incredible seafood. Their menu is highly dependent on what's available that day at the Rialto market. Even the napkins, made of fine linen, appeared freshly pressed.
Chef Luciano was on vacation, which meant that instead of cooking in the back, he was serving and, literally, entertaining his guests up front. His theology on cooking is dedicated to the concept of "keeping it light." He utilizes the finest olive oil, light flour, fresh ingredients and no butter, so his patrons are not bloated and sleepy after your meal. He believes you should be able to eat a fantastic meal and still go on with the rest of your day and without the fatigue generally associated with carb-rich, Italian cuisine.
What inspires him? Interestingly it is his own personal preferences. Chef Luciano only prepares dishes that he likes and he hopes his patrons will like it too. In an area that has become as touristy as Disney, this level of authenticity is refreshing to find. We are confident that you, too, will enjoy each course as much as we did.
The chef has a gift of knowing what a dish will taste like, based on the ingredients and seasonings, before even tasting it. He claims (jokingly) that he was born in a kitchen. He shifts the menu according to the seasons and how they affect people's tastes and inclinations. For instance, in the summer he'll prepare lighter and fresher courses, whereas in the winter, he'll prepare warmer, comfort food plates.
The Sea Bream with Honey, Strawberries and Pomegranate Seeds was airy and surprisingly not too sweet. Sea bream is a very versatile white meat fish that, in this rendition, possessed an extremely mild taste (given that it was caught only a couple hours ago) with a modest zing at the end.
The crisp and succulent Tuna Tartar was served on a bed of baby lettuce greens with a rich balsamic glaze on the plate creating a beautiful compliment to the tuna.
Next, we were served the best Seafood Platter we have ever had! It was sensually sexy and sizeable. It included the best anchovies we had ever had as well as delectable and juicy baby octopus, baby shrimp and sea squalls over creamy polenta. It also included superb spider crab and sautéed mussels. It was a magnificent and diverse orgy of dazzling seafood that we devoured with such glee.
The Clams were grilled sensationally in their shells and presented gorgeously. They were so flavorful and addictive and did not last long on the platter. While we are huge proponents of the slow food movement, these beauties were gone quite swiftly.
The Black Taglioni with Artichoke and Scallops was outstanding. The infallibly cooked pasta with amazing scallops and ripe soft artichokes were soft and supple. There is something so exotic about eating black noodle pasta that makes the dish so much more alluring.
The Gnocchetti with Spider Crab was the lightest gnocchi ever! It was harmoniously combined with the crab sauce for a soothing and comforting flavor. No ingredient overpowered the other, allowing you to taste each and every delicate flavor.
The Fresh Sea Bream served with artichoke and fresh tomatoes was the softest, most silky fish that we have ever consumed. It's like they draped the dish in invisible silk and it just slid it down our eager throats. The taste and texture were so addictive that we barely wanted to share it with each other. This was the same fish that was delivered to the restaurant while we were having our pre-meal aperitivo. It was served to us mere hours after it was caught in the Venice waters.
The desserts were just as delicate and marvelous as the rest of the meal. The Five Chocolate Mousse was incredible with all the diverse chocolates melding together for a unique and addictive new chocolate flavor.
The deliriously seductive Warm Lava Cake with Orange was creative and makes you surrender to its powers. It was the by far the best and most original lava cake we have ever experienced. We had had dozens of lava cakes and they are usually all good, but this one was phenomenal. It had a similar warm and mesmerizing chocolate taste but it also contained a hint of orange that elevated it far above all other lava cakes. The chef makes other versions of this sublime cake with mint and other flavorful surprises he may be inspired by.
Ostaria Boccadoro is included in the Venice Michelin Guide and should get a star soon. A Must in Venice!!
